MATECH C/ZrOC composite is deployed in hypersonic aeroshells

MATECH (Westlake Village, Calif., U.S.) has entered into a contract with a prominent defense contractor to develop hypersonic aeroshells for flight testing fabricated from its carbon fiber/ZrOC (C/ZrOC) material. In 2023, the company successfully manufacturing 50 kilograms of the ceramic matrix composite (CMC), leading up to this year’s program.

MATECH’s ultra high-temperature (UHT), dimensionally stable structural insulator material, pronounced “Carbon Zee Rock,” helps surpass challenges associated with hypersonic aeroshells, which can get very hot in flight. The faster they travel, the hotter they become. 

C/ZrOC was designed to address the high-performance and ease of manufacture needs of defense and civilians’ access to space. It is a low-ablation rate hypersonic material that is low-cost, highly scalable and easy to manufacture. It has been tested in multiple government labs up to in excess of 2760°C under extreme stagnation pressures. MATECH has brought its C/ZrOC composite to pre-qualification status for hypersonic and missile defense applications with MDA support. 

Moreover, MATECH notes that the CMC’s cost of manufacture is equal to or less than heavier and poorer performing metal counterparts. Most CMC alternatives typically cost up to 20 times as much as the metals they are intended to replace. This is achieved through inexpensive, domestically sourced raw materials that can be mass produced at high volumes (think freight car-size deliverables).

In addition to hypersonic aeroshells for defense, MATECH’s C/ZrOC thermal protection system (TPS) is ideal for reusable heat shields on commercial space vehicles. The company says that it is strong enough and tough enough to be easily machined and securely attached to the vehicle. Examples of systems where it could make a dramatic improvement include the SpaceX Starship. It could also replace single-use ablative heat shields, like the PICA heat shield on Orion. In addition, MATECH C/ZrOC can take the extreme heat flux of Lunar Return and Mars Return. MATECH’s C/ZrOC technology is now ready and available for license.